Fibrx Rocking Chair
Fibrx Rocking Chair
-
Years: 2021-2022
Team: Alexandra Pittiglio, Ayşe Esin Durmaz
Tutors: Vanessa Costalonga
Examiner: Hanaa Dahy
Course: Material and Structure
University: University of Stuttgart
Institutes: Department of Biobased Materials and Materials Cycles in Architecture (BioMat) in the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE)
Publications: Pittiglio, A., Simpson, A., Costalonga, V., and Dahy, H. “Fibrx Rocking Chair: Design and Application of Tailored Timber as an Embedded Frame for Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (NFRP) Coreless Winding.” Polymers 15 (2023).
Fibrx Rocking Chair is a prototype for a novel hybrid material system using custom-laminated beech veneer and Flax Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymers (NFRP), two materials that are leveraged for their potential of strategic material placement in additive processes towards programmed material behavior and performance. Strategic orientation of grain direction in the veneer lamination allows for controlled bending. The bent timber then acts as an embedded frame for coreless filament winding of NFRP, which removes the need for temporary, wasteful formwork typical in FRP fabrication processes.
Product
The total weight of the chair is 5.6 kg and it has supported people up to 100 kg.
Process
The material roles are defined in a complementary relationship to minimize material usage while maximizing performance. Timber primarily handles compressive forces and acts as a functional surface while NFRP is primarily in tension as structural reinforcement.
Prototypes
Fabrication
Vacuum Lamination
In-Situ Lamination
Fiber Winding
